It goes without saying that hospitals are an integral backbone to communities. The South Niagara Hospital (SNH) project demonstrates it also takes a village to build one. 

The design phase of the hospital exemplifies EllisDon's commitment to community building, enriching the communities we work in, and prioritising client and stakeholder relationships. Our teams sourced a warehouse off-site and built a life-sized, to-scale mockup of crucial spaces within the hospital. Niagara Health medical staff, critical decision makers, patient groups, and other community partners walked through each space to evaluate the effectiveness, flow, and usability of the design.

“The largest benefit of designing this way is the opportunity to solicit feedback from partners, but underneath that is the way EllisDon builds trust and confidence right from the initial project phases,” said Jason Coutinho, Construction Manager, EllisDon. “We take the time and make the effort to listen to what our clients want and build great relationships along the way.”

With the walkthroughs completed and feedback collected, EllisDon and the design team will update the hospital’s proposed layout. The changes vary from larger scale placement of machinery to the minutia of door handles that allow nurses entry and exit with full hands, the height of scrub-in sinks, frosted glass placement and more. These changes will result in optimal workspaces for medical professionals, improved accessibility, and ultimately, better care and outcomes for patients.

“The details are going to come from the people using those spaces,” said Coutinho. "It is our job to lean on their expert knowledge long before we start building those spaces. This insight is invaluable, and we intentionally put ourselves in a position to solicit that feedback.”

None of these results happen in a vacuum—they happen in partnership with our clients and stakeholders. SNH demonstrates that when it comes to this partnership, there is no such thing as insignificant — everything matters.

This mindset is another way EllisDon continues to elevate and push the envelope on what it means to build lasting legacies in our communities.